Fantasy Premier League – Select XI (GW-26)

After England’s rousing victory over Brazil and a whole host of other international fixtures, it’s back to domestic action. There are no injuries to report at the moment so managers will be happy, especially as some fantasy players shone for their national teams. Rooney opened the scoring for England after Cesar could only palm away Walcott’s effort, whilst Lampard continued his fine form with yet another goal.

Elsewhere, Bale made it 3 goals in 3 games, getting on the scoresheet for Wales’ 2-1 victory over Austria, Aguero found the back of the net for Argentina’s 3-2 victory away at Sweden and Mata assisted Fabregas in the 3-1 win for Spain over Uruguay. However, with the internationals out of the way, it’s time to turn our attention to Fantasy Premier League and more importantly a tasty double gameweek. Liverpool and Swansea both play twice and if you haven’t checked out our analysis of these two teams, here are the links – Liverpool article; Swansea article.

To help you plan ahead for this gameweek, we’ve taken a look at the fixtures and form, and have come up with some players you might want to consider bringing in or captaining for Gameweek 26. If you’re new to Fantasy Football Addict, this is our weekly segment where we choose 11 players in a valid formation to enter our Premier League Fantasy Select XI for the upcoming gameweek. So without further ado, here is our selection for the 26th gameweek of the season:

Goalkeeper

Asmir BEGOVIC [RDG(H), 5.8m] – Stoke performed well last week, limiting Arsenal to just the 1 goal and Pulis will want them to build on this when they play host to Reading in Gameweek 26. Stoke have struggled of late but it’s simply a matter of time before they start grinding out results and in Begovic, they have a reliable keeper. The latest talk is of United and Arsenal monitoring his situation as Butland arrives in the summer.

Defenders

Glen JOHNSON [WBA(H), SWA(H), 6.4m] – Our first double gameweeker comes in the form of Glen Johnson, we spoke of his attacking potential in our Liverpool article. However, defensive home form is also a potential benefit with Liverpool not conceding in their last 3 games at Anfield. Rodgers will be looking for two strong home wins as they push on in the battle for the Champions League spots.

Ben DAVIES [QPR(H), LIV(A), 4.6m] – Next up in defence we have Ben Davies, who has grabbed his chance this season to show his potential following the injury to Taylor. Offering a budget option into the Swansea backline, it comes as no surprise that the transfers in have been piling up over the last few gameweeks where Davies has picked up 2 clean sheets in addition to a goal. The QPR game offers the most potential for points whereas anything from the Liverpool game would be seen as a bonus.

Sebastien BASSONG [FUL(H), 5.2m] – Finishing off our defensive lineup is Sebastien Bassong, the rock in Norwich’s backline. Barring the 5-0 drumming dealt out by Liverpool, Norwich have performed admirably in defence recently, conceding just the once against Spurs and collecting clean sheets against QPR and Newcastle. With Fulham struggling for form, another clean sheet could be on the cards for the Norwich lads as they look to further the gap between them and the drop zone.

Midfielders

Theo WALCOTT [SUN(A), 9.6m] – Walcott continued his excellent form with an assist in the win over Stoke, although, it was a touch fortunate given that he was fouled for the Podolski free kick. However, he looked dangerous on the wing for England last night and with Giroud in form, Walcott may continue in this position. Travelling to Sunderland won’t be an easy fixture but Walcott has the pace and confidence to trouble any defence.

Miguel MICHU [QPR(H), LIV(A), 8.4m] – Michu has struggled lately, scoring only once in his last 5 matches but with Graham gone, he is sure to have more opportunities up front for Swansea. With the double gameweek in place, it was impossible to leave him out of our Select XI. Michu is sure to have some chances and if he manages to take one, he’ll be on for a high score overall.

Steven GERRARD [WBA(H), SWA(H), 9.7m] – From one opposite to another, we have Gerrard who is in incredible form for Liverpool. He’s been racking up goals and assists from almost every fixture and has shot up to become the second highest points scoring midfielder. With two home games on the cards, Gerrard is sure to return some attacking points and he was a close second for our captain choice this gameweek.

Juan MATA [WIG(H), 10.1m] – Mata continues to prove just how important he is for Chelsea, scoring a beautiful curler in the surprising loss to Newcastle last weekend. Benitez will be keen to get things back on track and will expect no less than a win when Chelsea welcome Wigan to Stamford Bridge. Mata is sure to start and will cause all sorts of problems for the Wigan defence in Gameweek 26.

Gareth BALE[NEW(H), 9.8m] – Bale has had an indifferent season but in the last few weeks, he has stepped up his game, scoring two crackers in both of his last league games. He’s definitely not cheap but Bale is such a talented player that he can produce something special out of practically nothing. The game against Newcastle won’t be easy but they’ll have their hands full dealing with Bale, regardless of the position he takes up.

Strikers

Luis SUAREZ (C) [WBA(H), SWA(H), 10.7m] – Up front, we’ve gone for the highest scoring strikers in the FPL, starting with Luis Suarez. It was a tight call between the Uruguayan and the in-form Sturridge but we gave the spot to Suarez simply because he’s the more talented player. His goalscoring potential may have diminished slightly, being pushed out wide but in the matches at Anfield, Suarez will have plenty of chances to score and assist, with position rotation taking place.

Robin VAN PERSIE [EVE(H), 14.1m] – Strangely, Van Persie failed to return attacking points for a second consecutive fixture whilst Rooney grabbed another goal. Most of his managers seem to be holding steady for the time being but with such an expensive pricetag, some may be looking at his fellow strike partner who notched once again last night for England. It’d definitely be dangerous to drop the Dutchman, as it’s simply a matter of time before he starts producing. RVP only played a single half last night whilst Rooney was forced to play the full 90, giving the Dutchman the advantage against Everton, as Fergie will surely be considering rotation with Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid in mind.

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